Blues chase Connor Hellebuyck, rout Jets to force Game 7: Takeaways

By / / Sports / 7 minutes of reading


ST. LOUIS — There will be a Game 7.

In a must-win situation Friday night, the St. Louis Blues erupted for four goals in the second period and won 5-2 over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 6.

Connor Hellebuyck was pulled for the third consecutive game in St. Louis after allowing five goals on 23 shots. In the three games combined at Enterprise Center, he allowed 16 goals on 66 shots (.758 save percentage).

Game 7 will be Sunday at Canada Life Centre at 6 p.m. CT.

The score was tied 1-1 midway through the second period, when the Blues netted the first of four goals in a span of 5 minutes and 23 seconds.

First, it was Nathan Walker for a 2-1 lead. Then 53 seconds later, it was captain Brayden Schenn for a 3-1 advantage. Then 1:13 later, it was Cam Fowler for a 4-1 cushion. And 3:17 later, Alexey Toropchenko provided the goal that put the game out of reach.

The Blues’ fourth line had two of the goals — by Walker and Toropchenko — and the line was on the ice for three of the five goals.

Hellebuyck might’ve been pulled after the goal by Toropchenko, but it came late in the second period, so Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel was likely saving Hellebuyck the skate to the Jets’ bench in front of the boisterous Blues’ fans.

Eric Comrie came out for the third period to finish the game for Winnipeg.

On the other end of the ice, Jordan Binnington made 21 saves for the victory, which was his 14th consecutive win at Enterprise Center and the Blues’ 15th in a row on home ice.

That continued the trend in this series of the home team being victorious through the first six games. Will the Jets keep that going in Game 7, or can the Blues Hellebuyck that trend?

Connor Hellebuyck collapses, with plenty of help

The Blues won Game 6 in the second period, scoring four goals in five minutes and 23 seconds — each goal provoking a new chant from the Blues’ crowd. As the Enterprise Center crowd counted out the goals, chanted “Connor!” while Hellebuyck was in the net, and then taunted “We want Connor!” after Hellebuyck had been pulled for the third straight road game, the Jets made crucial mistake after crucial mistake.

First, it was Josh Morrissey flipping a puck to Justin Faulk, keying off a four-on-two rush while the Jets changed. Philip Broberg beat Dylan DeMelo behind the net, then centered it for Nathan Walker all alone in front. Then it was Luke Schenn, stepping up in the neutral zone but failing to stop the Blues in transition — and his forwards not getting back to help — leading to a Schenn shot that Hellebuyck needed to stop. Next, Schenn and Stanley were beaten down low, leading to another Fowler goal through a sea of bodies. By the time Schenn missed DeMelo with an easy pass and the Blues pounced for Toropchenko’s 5-1 goal, Game 7 was inevitable and the collapse was complete.

The Jets were reeling, St. Louis was flying, and despite the Grade A nature of most Blues goals, Winnipeg needed Hellebuyck to give them a reason to believe. Failing that, they needed to get out of their own way. They got neither, and that’s why this series is going seven games.

Blues’ D piling up points

The Blues got on the board first in Game 6, and once again in this series, it was their defense piling up the offense.

Philip Broberg’s first-period goal was one of six points Friday, giving the Blues defense 24 points in the series (six goals, 18 assists), which is the most on the blue line for any team in the NHL postseason.

All seven of the Blues’ defensemen have at least one point in the series, led by Cam Fowler with 10 (two goals, eight assists). He’s followed by Colton Parayko with five points (one goal, four assists), Justin Faulk with four points (one goal, three assists), and Tyler Tucker and Nick Leddy each have an assist.

After Broberg’s goal, the Blues’ defense wasn’t done. They added five more points in the game, including Fowler’s second goal of the series. Later, Ryan Suter got his first point of the series with an assist, and Parayko and Faulk also added assists.

Philip Broberg’s goal counts, Morgan Barron’s highlight reel called back

Winnipeg called a timeout after Broberg’s first-period goal — not because they were rattled yet but to buy time. Arniel and video coach Matt Prefontaine spent the timeout deliberating a challenge for goaltender interference before deciding to leave it alone. They made the right call: Dylan Samberg’s skate bumped Hellebuyck out of position more than Pavel Buchnevich did.

The Blues made the right call in the second period, too, getting Morgan Barron’s highlight-reel goal overturned due to Mason Appleton being offside. Barron had picked off a pass from Justin Faulk, then split the Blues’ defense with a powerful move, went forehand to backhand, and finished top shelf on Jordan Binnington. It was all for naught — there was no way Appleton would have anticipated all of that and the goal was correctly called back.

Hellebuyck (and Neal Pionk’s) miraculous save

There was a moment of brilliance from Hellebuyck in the first period — a desperate short-handed save that defied the odds and took Hellebuyck’s blocker, a sliding Dylan Samberg, and a well-timed stick from Neal Pionk to pull off.

The uninspiring thing about these highlight-reel saves from Hellebuyck right now is that even the most spectacular moments don’t guarantee total success. The Blues are getting the traffic they need to make his life miserable, Hellebuyck is giving up an extra goal per game on his own, and he’s making puckhandling errors that suggest the moment is getting to him. However, he feels about his own details, the goal light keeps going off — and he hasn’t found a way to stop it from happening.

Travel delays don’t bother Blues

The Blues got stuck in Winnipeg after Game 5 due to an issue with the plane that was bringing them back to St. Louis. They were scheduled to stay over in Winnipeg Wednesday and fly home Thursday at 11 a.m. CT, but they were delayed until 7 p.m. CT and returned home at 9 p.m. CT.

That’s not the first time that’s happened to the Blues. In March, they were scheduled to fly home after a game in Minnesota, but a flight issue forced them to spend the night. They came back the next day for the second game of a back-to-back set against Anaheim. They overcame the adversity and won 7-2 over the Ducks.

Asked about how it might affect them in Game 6, Jim Montgomery replied, “I think because we’ve been through it in the regular season, we don’t really talk about it. I know some guys took a nap, some guys played cards, some guys watched a Netflix series, whatever the case may be. Just do what you do to give yourself peace of mind. We got home in plenty of time. We got great sleep, so we’re fine.”

Evidently, they were fine.

Nikolaj Ehlers’ surprise return

We reported on Friday morning that there was a possibility of Nikolaj Ehlers entering the series, but Ehlers’ Game 6 return should still be classified as a surprise. His lower-body injury has healed way ahead of schedule, according to Arniel — and just in time, too, given Mark Scheifele’s departure from Game 5.

Ehlers was good in the game without getting on the board. His speed was evident on puck recoveries, rush chances, and a scoring chance on a rebound from Morrissey early in the game. It wasn’t enough to make a difference on the scoresheet, though — any late series heroics from Ehlers will have to wait for Game 7.

(Photo: Connor Hamilton / Imagn Images)





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